Top for electrolytic cells of the tank type



D. W. KENT TOP FOR ELECTROLYTIC CELLS OF THE TANK TYPE March 21, 1950Filed Ndv. 1, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 D. W. KENT March 21, 1950 TOP FORELECTROLYTIC CELLS OF THE TANK TYPE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 1, 1945fvwmtor DonaZdW/fm March 21, 1950 D. w. KENT 2,500,949

TOP FOR ELECTROLYTIC CELLS OF THE TANK TYPE Filed Nov. 1, 1945 sSheets-Sheet s 85 F [Wu/ or DanaZd W. [f /m i atented Mar. 21 1950UNITED S TQP FOR ELECTROLYTIC CELLS OF THE TANK TYPE Donald W. Kent,Whiteinarsli, Pa.

Application November 1, 1945, Serial No. 626,006

6 Claims. 1

This invention is a new and useful top for an electrolytic cell of thetank type and will be fully understood from the following descriptionread in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of part of an electrolytic cell provided with atop of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view with a part in section of the construction shownin Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of certain elements of the construction shown inFig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side view of a sub-assembly of elements of the constructionshown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a side view of other elements of the construction shown inFig. 1;

Fig. 6 is another sub-assembly of elements of the construction shown inFig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a top view of an element of the construction shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is an end view of the construction shown in Fig. 7, and

Fig. 9 is a side view of part of the construction shown in Figs. 7 and8.

In the drawings, l designates the tank within which the electrodes andthe electrolyte are contained. As indicated in Fig. 1, the cell top 2con sists of a large number of laminations or strips of which 32l appearin Fig. 1 held securely together by stay bolts 25, 29 and 35. Thepositive electrodes are provided with terminals 31-36 inc which projectup through top 2 and the negative electrodes are provided with terminals41-46 inc., which similarly project up through the top.

In Fig. 3, I have shown a detailed side view of strip I!) which isidentical in form with strip 22. Strip lll defines part of the hole 5!through which the stay bolt 28 passes and part of hole 52 through whichthe stay bolt 29 passes. It also defines one side of the space 53through which the electrode terminal 32 extends upwardly and a part ofthe horizontal duct or manifold 54 which extends through the strips orlaminations within top 2 as shown in Fig. 1. The particular type of cellshown is adapted to produce gases such as hydrogen and oxygen byelectrolysis of an aqueous electrolyte, and the function of manifold 54is to carry off the oxygen or similar gas liberated at the positiveelectrode, and for this purpose it is provided at intervals with outletssuch as 55 (Figs. 3 and 4) and 56 (Fig. 1).

For the purpose of admitting the oxygen into the manifold 54, the stripIll also defines half of the riser B2 and such risers til-55 (Fig. 1)are provided in the pairs of strips 5-6, 9-40, "-44, l'|l8, 2I--22 and25-26 which are as- 2 sociated with the positive electrodes. Each ofthese pairs of strips is identical except that pairs 9-H) and 2l22additionally carry outlets 55 and 56.

Each positive electrode such as "l0 (Fig. 3) is supported by asuspension bolt such as H (Fig. 3) provided at its lower end with aU-bar 12 to which the electrode is secured and at its upper end by a capnut '13 by which bolt H is held in position in top 2. The strip Hicooperates with a mating strip 9 (Fig. 4) which is a mirror image of thestrip l0 and which defines the other half of space 53 and carries theother half of outlet 55.

Each positive electrode is surrounded by a diaphragm which may, forexample, be formed of woven asbestos cloth and means is provided forsupporting this diaphragm in spaced relationship to the electrode whichmeans will now be described.

The diaphragm holder 8! with the diaphragm 82 depending therefrom isshown in side view in Fig. 4. The diaphragm holder (Fig. '7) is formedof two pieces and 84 of thin sheet metal such as nickel. Part of theends of the two flat pieces 83 and 84 (Figs. '7 and 9) are bent inwardlyto form the overlapping ends or tabs 85 and 86 which may be spot-Weldedtogether or similarly secured. The opposite end of holder M, which doesnot appear in the figure, is of similar construction. Adjacent eitherend and at the upper edge of bent-over portions 85 and 86 there isprovided a small angle such as 87 which is riveted to the bent-overportions 85 and B6 and defines the holes 88 and 89 (Fig. '7 throughwhich small machine screws such as (Fig. 9) may be inserted to hold thediaphragm holder 8| up against the strips 9 and Ill (Fig. 4).

The diaphragm 32 (Fig. 4) which surrounds the positive electrode 75operates to retain any gas such as oxygen liberated at the face of thiselectrode divertin it upwardly through riser 52 into the horizontalmanifold 54 and thence out through the ducts such as 55 and 55 (Figs. 1and 3). A diaphragm holder and diaphragm supported thereby are used inassociation with each of the pairs of strips 56, 9-15, l3-I l, lI-l8,2l-22, 25-26 and the positive electrode carried thereby.

It is not necessary to provide the negative electrodes with diaphragmsand the construction of the negative electrodes with that part of thecell top pertaining thereto is shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In this case,negative electrode NH is carried by the u-bar I02 secured to suspensionbolt 103 which in turn is provided with cap nut I04 resting on strips Hand l2 of which 12 appears in Fig. 5 and both If and ill in Fig. 6.Strip 12 (Fig. 5) defines half of space It]? through which electrodeterminal 42 projects upwardly and part of the horizontal manifold H18(Figs. 1 and 5). Each manifold is provided at intervals with outletssuch as its (Fig. 5) and H (Fig. 1) by which gas may be withdrawn frommanifold H13. Strips H and I2 together define riser H2 by which any gasevolved at the face of the negative electrode will pass upwardly intothe manifold N18 from which it can be withdrawn through outlets I09 andH0. Such risers llll it are correspondingly provided in the pairs ofstrips l-8, l5-l6, l92fl and 22-23. Strips H and I2 define part of holeIll through which the stay bolt 30 passes. Strips H and 12 are identicalin form and construction with strip El and its mating strip.

As shown in Fig. 2, the tank 1 is provided with inwardly projectingflange Hi8 which extends around the entire inner wall of the tank andupon which the tank top 2 rests. Space H9 between the inner wall of thetank and the edge of the tank top is filled with a suitable packing 120to prevent gas leakage. The spaces such as 53 and H31 around electrodeterminals are similarly packed.

It will of course be understood that the construction which I havedescribed with reference to a particular positive and a particularnegative electrode is repeated throughout the entire cell top. Withinthe preferred embodiment of the invention at least alternate strips ofthe cover are of insulating material and preferably a material formed bythe controlled polymerization of a material selected from the groupconsisting of butadiene and styrene.

The foregoing description is for purposes of illustration and not oflimitation and it is therefore my intention that the invention belimited only by the appended claims or the equivalents thereof wherein Ihave endeavored to claim broadly all inherent novelty.

I claim:

1. In an electrolytic cell of the tank type, the improvement comprisinga cover composed of a plurality of first and alternate second pairs ofstrips having substantially parallel vertical sides, meanscomplementarily defined by the inner strip sides of each of said pairsof strips to form an aperture, an electrode for each of said pairs ofstrips and having a terminal extending through said aperture, means foreach electrode securing the same in substantially vertically dependantposition to its pair of strips in spaced relation thereto, a diaphragmfor each alternate electrode substantially surrounding the same andsecured to its pair of strips in substantially vertically de- Numberpendant position, means within said strips collectively definingsubstantially horizontally extending separate first and second gasducts, each substantially traversing all of said pairs of strips, meanscomplementarily defined by the inner strip sides of each first pair ofstrips to form a gas inlet from the space above its electrode to saidfirst gas duct, and means complementarily defined by the inner stripsides of each alternate second pair of strips to form a gas inlet fromthe space above its electrode to said second gas duct.

2. The improvement in accordance with claim 1 in which additionallymeans are complementarily defined by the inner strip sides of each ofsaid pairs of strips to form suspension bolt apertures and in which saidelectrode securing means are suspension bolts extending through saidlast mentioned apertures.

3. The improvement in accordance with claim 1 in which each saiddiaphragm is secured by a diaphragm support comprising a sleeve of sheetmetal depending from its alternate pair of strips.

4. The improvement in accordance with claim 1 in which each saiddiaphragm is secured by a diaphragm support comprising a sleeve of sheetmetal depending from its alternate pair of strips provided with two fiatupstanding wings interposed between one of its pair of strips and itsadjacent other strip.

5. Improvement in accordance with claim 4 in which at least alternatestrips are of insulating material.

6. Improvement in accordance with claim 5 in which said alternate stripsare composed of a material formed by the controlled polymerization of amaterial selected from the group consisting of butadiene and styrene.

DONALD W. KENT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Schriver May 2, 1916 Tainton July 3,1917 Pechkranz Mar. 13, 1923 Heinze Mar. 9, 1926 Colls Aug. 18, 1942FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Norway Mar. 10, 1919 OTHER REFERENCESIndustrial and Engineering Chemistry, April 1944, page 361.

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